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TRÓCAIRE
FRONTLINE WOMEN
TRÓCAIRE SHARES THE STORIES OF TWO BRAVE WOMEN NAVIGATING LIFE ON THE FRONTLINE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING HUMANITY – CLIMATE CHANGE
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Halima
Halima (48), a mother of nine, lives in Jazira Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Luuq in southwestern Somalia. She has become a nomad in her own country after drought killed her livestock, forcing her family to move 40km from their home in Yurkud village in search of food, shelter and work.
Climate change has made life harder for women in Somalia, and climate projections suggest worse is to come. Mean annual temperatures are forecast to increase by around three degrees across the country by the end of the century.
Since becoming displaced, Halima, her husband Hassan (46), their children and nine relatives have struggled. Education, a basic human right in Ireland, is not an option for the children as they focus on day-to-day survival. "When we moved to the camp my family had no income and we were struggling to meet basic needs. We could not afford three meals a day and most of my children were malnourished."
Internal migration in Somalia is primarily linked to extreme weather-related climate change events, conflict and violence. Approximately 593,000 people have been displaced in Somalia this year alone.
Last year, Halima was selected to participate in a new resilience food production project, implemented by Trócaire in partnership with the Centre for Research and Integrated Development (CERID).
Through this pilot programme, Halima is now being supported and empowered to reduce the devastating impacts of climate change and to create more sustainable ways of living through farming.
Halima has been given access to farmland, training on agroecological food production techniques and alternative income options. She has also joined a community savings group. "In the first year of the project, I planted tomatoes, squash, green pepper, cowpeas, sorghum and maize. I learned about good agricultural practice and was given a plot of land to plant. For the first two seasons I made $310, (€263), which I used primarily for family basic needs and to purchase two goats. Legumes and cereals were harvested and sold as fodder to generate income. "Currently, I have goats all acquired through the support of CERID and Trócaire. I bought six with money from selling crops from my farm. Since then, they have given birth to another six."
Halima's daughter, Qali Hassan (17), is also helping lift the family from poverty after graduating from a course at the Agricultural Training Centre, which trains teenagers on agri-business and entrepreneurship. Trócaire also implements the programme in partnership with CERID.
Qali and her mother have now started a kitchen garden where they grow vegetables to feed the family. This is a win-win as it helps provide muchneeded income as well as food. "I harvest lettuce and other vegetables every morning and prepare breakfast for my children. I also give some of the daily harvest to my neighbours," Halima adds.
Halima's daughter is applying her newfound skills to improving the irrigation system, soil fertility and pest control.
Thanks to the transformation in their lives, Halima has also been able to send her bed-ridden mother for surgery for her failing eyesight. "My mother is now independent again. Now she can go anywhere she wishes without anybody's guidance," Halima says.
LORENZA AND SANTA'S STORY: GUATEMALA
Mothers Lorenza Cedillo Matom and Santa Paulina Brito Raymundo are from the village of Xeucalvitz in Santa María Nebaj in El Quiché province in Guatemala. Vulnerable communities in the Central American country are seriously affected by climate change and recovering from the devastating double impact of Hurricanes Eta and Iota.
After the hurricanes hit, the Guatemalan government declared a state of emergency as landslides destroyed roads, collapsed houses and isolated communities.
Lorenza and Santa's remote village is approximately 47 kilometres from the main city. Before the hurricanes, it took two and a half hours by car to reach the city due to the poor state of the roads. But after the hurricanes struck, the community was cut off for two months. Road travel was not possible, forcing community members to walk 14 hours to buy food.
Lorenza and Santa had to abandon their animals, which they heavily relied on for income. Shops were empty, and families were forced to sleep outdoors because their houses had collapsed.
Malnutrition was a huge concern for Lorenza and Santa as they struggled to provide food for their children. Thanks to Trócaire, in partnership with Caritas, Lorenzo and Santa and community members received food rations and hygiene kits in the two months after the hurricanes hit.
They have now been elected as members of the disaster response committee, COLRED, which is helping to rebuild from the rubble. Women like Lorenzo and Santa are becoming increasingly empowered to take on leadership roles and to make a difference.
Santa Paulina Brito Raymundo
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